Poirier was coming off of a no contest match up against former champion Eddie Alvarez. Many fight fans believe the fighter was winning the match up, until an accidental illegal strike brought the fight to an unexpected end. Coming back from the experience, Poirier threw down in the headliner for UFC Fight Night 120 against another former champion.

Pettis most recently earned a unanimous decision win over Jim Miller. However, things simply did not go the former champion’s way.

Poirier and Pettis entered a vicious and bloody war inside the octagon, leaving many of the Virginia fans on their feet. The two fighters opened each other’s faces up with devastating elbows and brutal punches. However, Pettis seemed to be the more damaged fighter by the end of the match. In the end, the former champion suffered a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier.

Check out photos of Anthony Pettis’ severely cut nose from their bloody battle: